Stand Up and Remember (One Direction Fan-Fic)

Chapter 15

Author's Note

So sorry I haven't updated! I've been sick and have had no internet.
Enjoy!  ~Megs xx

*****
Chapter 15 

Bella’s POV

A few hours later I arrived in Paris, and I realized, I knew no French, meaning I would have to search around for an English counter and find numbers for a hotel closest to her hospital.
But as I walked out of customs and into the main part of the airport, I saw my name on a card.
Bella Styles – travel
I frowned slightly but walked over to the man who was holding the card with a small smile on his face.

“Hi, um, do you speak English?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m from London, like you just came from, Simon had me flown here earlier to pick you up, I’m your security guard slash driver and someone to accompany you so that nothing happens,” he gave me another smile and I smiled back.
“So, what’s your name?” I asked.
“Greg, here, let me take your suitcase, the car is just outside, and Louis booked your hotel room across from mine, and the hotel is right next to the hospital,” Greg explained and I nodded, a little uncomfortable at the fact that I man I didn’t really know had to look after me, but I guess it would be better.
“Okay, thank you,” I said as he took my suitcase and pulled it after him as we walked out of the airport and over towards a silver car.
He lifted the suitcase into the back of the car. “Front right seat,” he said to me as he slammed it shut and I nodded, opening the car door and pulling my backpack off, which had all the stuff in it since I hadn’t left any anywhere, before I sat down with it on my lap. I buckled in as Greg opened his door and hurriedly got in.

He closed the door behind him and put his seatbelt on before turning to me.
“I’m not a creepy older guy okay? If you need someone to lean on, or cry to, or anything, I’m here, think of me as an uncle,” he grinned and I felt a little something fall from my worries.
“Okay Uncle Greg,” I grinned and he chuckled.
“You sound just like my daughter, except she is off in Australia studying,” he sounded sad but he had happiness glinting in his eyes.
“Well maybe I could pay for you to go see her,” I smiled and offered as a sort of way to say thank you, he had already done a lot.
“That would be great, but come on, turn on your music and let us begin the half an hour drive to your hotel shall we? And then to the hospital after that?” He asked and I nodded, still smiling before I plugged in my iPhone into the converter thingy and began playing some Ed Sheeran.

He had done so much for me already, and I didn’t feel sad, I felt the weight lift off my shoulders. I was okay, I was here, and I was going to see my mum in less than an hour.
I couldn’t be more on top of the world. And maybe whilst I was here, I could go to the Eiffel tower? Except it wouldn’t be the same alone. Maybe Uncle Greg could come. I grinned. I had a feeling he was a really nice bloke and well, he could pass as an uncle. Maybe he even knew my mum.

********
“You ready?” Greg asked as we entered the hospital and I crinkled my nose at the smell. I hated hospital smells, and I hadn’t been to one thankfully since my boot being taken off.
“Yeah,” I sighed and Greg gave my shoulder a light squeeze before walking me over to the desk where the receptionist was busy typing away on her computer.

“Can I help you?” She asked. I could hear a slight French and American accent and wondered where she was born.
“Yeah, um where is Anne Cox? My mother,” I managed and the lady rolled her eyes at my meek voice and I just narrowed my eyes at her before she typed something into her computer.
“She just woke up, and a doctor will be with her, she wasn’t expecting anyone,” she said and I just groaned slightly before Greg asked calmly.
“We’ll be fine, room number and floor?”
“Room number 264 on floor two, go up that set of lifts there and turn left, follow the directions,” she smiled slightly and I nodded in a curt thanks before Greg led me over to the lifts she had briefly pointed to. I pressed the up button.

The lift doors opened and we walked in. I pressed the number two and it felt like forever before the doors finally opened and Greg walked out, I followed and we turned left, following the signs to room 264. This floor didn’t stink so much, but you could smell the chemicals in the air.

“Okay,” I sighed and took a deep breath before knocking on the door labelled ‘Room 264 – Mrs Cox’.
The door opened and revealed a doctor in a white coat with a stern expression.
“We weren’t expecting visitors, one is enough but…” He started but then a weak woman’s voice spoke over him.
“Who is it?” She asked and I felt myself melt. Mum, she was awake.
Greg gave my arm a squeeze before pushing lightly past the doctor and into the room.
“Greg, why are you here?” My mum asked and my eyes widened. So they did know each other, old friends perhaps?

“Bella is here,” he said softly and I heard her gasp along with another male. The doctor apologized. “Oh I’m sorry, come in,” he said hurriedly, stepping out of the way.

My eyes widened. My mother and step-father were both in the room, my step-father holding my mother’s hand and Greg standing beside the bed, looking over them like an old friend. My mother was hooked up to a few machines, and she looked as weak as ever, but her eyes lit up as I walked slowly over to the group.

“Bella,” she smiled weakly, the movement looking like it exhausted her, but her happiness had shone through. But I instantly felt guilt pit in my stomach. Had I done this to her the first time.
“Mum,” I whispered and knelt down beside her bed and she reached out a feeble hand and linked it with mine.

“I’m so sorry,” I felt tears begin leaking slowly out of my eyes.
“Baby it isn’t your fault, I came to you first, and as we all say, shit happens,” she chuckled softly and I sighed, not satisfied.

“But it was my fault,” I sobbed softly.
“Stop crying, it wasn’t your fault, I’m here and so are you,” she smiled weakly at me and I stopped the flow of tears.
“Okay,” I sighed as she rubbed her thumb over my hand in comfort.
“And how do you know uncle Greg?” I chuckled slightly and Greg chuckled with me and my mum looked confused.
“Uncle Greg?” She asked.
“I’m one of her best friends, and your uncle, naturally,” Greg chuckled again and I nodded rolling my eyes at him slightly.

“So sweetie, how was it after the accident? I had mine the same time, only woke up today,” she asked softly and my eyes widened, she didn’t know.
“Um, mum, I don’t remember the last two years,” I stuttered and I starting crying a little and it was her turn to widen her eyes.
“You, don’t remember?” She asked and she went to tell me something but another knock came on the door, loud and demanding.

The doctor opened it and looked furious until I felt myself sink to the floor. It was Harry. He came.
I heard talking as my vision blackened and I felt myself fall into an abyss of nothingness.

****
“Bella?” I heard my name and my eyes flickered open to find myself staring at a white ceiling, with a small poster on it, of an emergency exit pathway. I was looking at the hospital ceiling.
“Bella, here, drink this water,” I felt hands push me up and I found myself on a couch beside my mother’s hospital bed, and my eyes met Greg and my mother talking with my step-father asleep on a chair and Harry was helping me to sit up, and he was holding out a glass of water with worried eyes. I hadn’t had another memory, just the memory of me with Harry and about mum.

My eyes felt red and puffy, and I knew I had cried, not only from the dream, but from Harry who had turned up.
I accepted the water in silence, and let him pour it for me, feeling too shaky to do it for myself. I rubbed my eyes slightly and took a few deep shaky breaths as he put the glass down and rubbed my back slightly in silence.
“Did you remember anything?”
“No, just the same thing when I was with Niall,” I mumbled and he nodded, looking a little tired, but happy.
I gave him a hug.

“I’m glad you’re here, I love you, I just needed space,” I said softly and Harry nodded, hugging me tightly back and we stayed in that embrace, and the world felt okay, everything fit into place. But it was shattered as Greg politely tapped Harry on the shoulder and he pulled away before smiling over at my worried looking mother.
“Stress,” he said and she nodded, looking a little concerned now, and she shared a look with Harry before she turned her gaze to me.

“How are you feeling sweetie? You fainted,” she pointed out and despite the situation, I laughed. I laughed hard and properly and soon Harry was laughing and Greg was chuckling, my mother looking confused as ever.

As I stopped and regained my breath and I shook my head, smiling.
“Yeah, that happens, and I was going to say, no shit Sherlock,” I grinned and my mother cackled a little before calming down. It was my thirteen-year-old motto along with Harry, and I guess Harry had shared this with Greg, or maybe…

“Oh I remember you, you look different!” I snapped my fingers as I looked back over at Greg.
He had helped organize our parties and everything, and had been sort of like an uncle, but we had called him Uncle G, I had just forgotten.

He chuckled. “Yes, I do, I lost weight,” Greg chuckled and I grinned before I stood up, feeling a little shaky but the feeling passed. My step-father was snoring softly and I rolled my eyes before walking over to my mother, my confidence growing with every step.

“Can you help me through the last two years? Some things I missed, or something we did I ought to remember? We can do it later, when you have rested, I just need to know,” I said, my voice cracking and she nodded. So Harry had explained to her, but I was sure it was something I didn’t know.

“Okay, she needs to rest,” the doctor spoke quietly as he opened the partially open door and walked in, closing it quietly behind him.
“Okay, love you mum,” I said softly, planting a kiss on her cheek, followed by Harry.
“Love you,” Harry said.
“I love you both so much, and I will see you tomorrow,” she smiled before Greg gave her hand a squeeze.
“See you soon Anne,” he said before ushering us out of the room, my mother looking peaceful and happy as the door closed behind us.The stink of the hospital made me slightly dizzy.
“Okay, let’s get out of here, I’m dizzy from the smell,” Harry said, taking the words out of my mouth.
“Hey, I was going to say that!” I protested, keeping my voice down as we walked past the office and quickly washed our hands like the signs said to do.

We quickly entered the lift after Harry pressed the button furiously about twenty times and then we rushed out of the hospital and gulped in the fresh air. I breathed heavily and the dizziness went away and it was replaced with a fresh and good sensation. Good.
“So kids, hotel and breakfast, and what do you say, sleep?” Uncle Greg asked.
Harry and I shared a glance before nodding vigorously and Greg laughed.

“Anyone up for a croissant?”

******

Harry’s POV

 

I had rushed in and found Bella just before she fainted, and mum was awake. I had felt like rushing into her arms but I had helped Bella up and put her on the empty couch against the wall next to my mum’s hospital bed.

I had wanted to cry and wail in her arms, and I wanted to tell her everything, and Bella as well, but I had don the only rational thing. She hadn’t known about Bella’s memory, so I had to tell her not to tell her about the thing we didn’t want her to remember.

She had told me she would do it, and I believed her. But she had warned me. She will remember, give her time, but don’t keep it from her forever, you might lose her again. And she was so right.

Time was our enemy. I had to find a way to tell her, and not lose her again, before she remembered. So I did the only rational thing I could think of. As I waited for Greg and Bella to drive up from the carpark, I dialled Niall.

“Hello?” He asked, sounding worried.
“Niall, it is me, I found her, come with the boys, but I need you to surprise Bella, and I need you to all think of how we can tell her,” I said and I heard him yell something out in the background before sighing.
“Okay, but mate?” He asked and I groaned, having a feeling I knew where this was going.
“What?”
“Can I take her to the Eiffel Tower?”
“Yes,” I answered and he let out a small squeal before clearing his throat.
“Okay, enjoy it there,” he said.
“Alright, gotta go,” I said as the car came around the corner and came to a stop in front of me.
“Just don’t push her okay? Time is what we need,” Niall said before hanging up and I sighed as I got into the back of the car.

He was right, in so many ways. But I didn’t know how much longer we had.

****

Author's Note

I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, i have been pretty sick and I had a crap internet and computer relationship, this Ethernet can really annoy me sometimes, I LOST IT FOR FOUR DAYS! Don't blame me :) COmment with some feedback please? Vote, fan, comment and keep reading!

THanks so much!
>Megs xoxoxoxoxox

**********